Rumors Of 'The Princess Bride' Remake Ignite Intense Backlash From Fans
By Emily Lee
September 18, 2019
After rumors of a potential remake of The Princess Bride began circulating online, fans of the original took to Twitter to share their unified opinion on the matter: inconceivable! It seems Variety, who originally shared the news during their Norman Lear profile, fell victim to one of the classic blunders: never get involved in a Twitter war with Princess Bride fans. Especially when a potential remake is on the line.
Though there's no official news that Westley, Buttercup and the rest of the gang will be getting the remake treatment just yet, in Variety's Lear profile, Sony Pictures Entertainment’s chief executive, Tony Vinciquerra, revealed: “Very famous people whose names I won’t use, but they want to redo The Princess Bride." Variety used this quote to promote their profile on social and it wasn't long before fans, and even the Dread Pirate Roberts himself, stormed the castle to shut down the idea The Princess Bride should be rebooted.
Cary Elwes, who starred as Westley/Dread Pirate Roberts in The Princess Bride used one of his character's most famous quotes to slam the remake rumors. "There’s a shortage of perfect movies in this world. It would be a pity to damage this one," he wrote alongside the Variety article.
There’s a shortage of perfect movies in this world. It would be a pity to damage this one. https://t.co/5N8Q3P2e5G
— Cary Elwes (@Cary_Elwes) September 18, 2019
Jamie Lee Curtis also joined the discussion. Though she wasn't in the film herself, her husband of 35 years, Christopher Guest, played Count Rugen aka the Six-Fingered-Man. She's close friends with Rob Reiner, who directed the classic film, as well. Like many fans, the Halloween actress took issue with Variety referring to the movie as "Norman Lear's The Princess Bride," as opposed to Reiner and William Goldman's. "Oh really? Well, I married the six fingered man, obviously why we have stayed together for 35 years and there is only ONE The Princess Bride and it’s William Goldman and [Rob Reiner's]. 'Life is pain highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something!'" Curtis wrote.
Oh really? Well, I married the six fingered man, obviously why we have stayed together for 35 years and there is only ONE The Princess Bride and it’s William Goldman and @robreiner’s. “Life is pain highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something!” https://t.co/hv33UIZKN3
— Jamie Lee Curtis (@jamieleecurtis) September 17, 2019
Fans, as well as Miriam-Webster Dictionary, also joined the discussion. The overall vibe was pretty clear: the only thing worse than a Princess Bride remake would be scaling the Cliffs of Insanity with your bare hands.
I like that in these chaotic times we can all put aside our differences and agree that no one should remake The Princess Bride
— Rachel Paige (@rachmeetsworld) September 18, 2019
I’m rarely a “don’t remake this” kind of guy, because I make an effort to be near-pathologically optimistic, and I try very hard to believe that there may be some genius version of a remake that I lack the vision to imagine.
— Franklin Leonard (@franklinleonard) September 17, 2019
All that said, don’t remake the Princess Bride. https://t.co/5LvQmoBe12
A) No. B) Calling it Norman Lear's The Princess Bride is as accurate as Al Ruddy's The Godfather—in that neither of them is creatively responsible for what you know and love. C) No. https://t.co/JsT2ISzvgf
— J.J. Blabrams (@marcbernardin) September 17, 2019
Inconceivable.
— Dictionary.com (@Dictionarycom) September 17, 2019
Yes, we know what it means. https://t.co/TKpXBNFrLb https://t.co/sp9oiuKFey
What do you think: should Princess Bride get a remake? Or should we throw this idea to the shrieking eels?
Photo: 20th Century Fox